Rhh. Pieters et al., IMMUNOTOXIC ORGANOTINS AS POSSIBLE MODEL COMPOUNDS IN STUDYING APOPTOSIS AND THYMOCYTE DIFFERENTIATION, Toxicology, 91(2), 1994, pp. 189-202
In the mid-seventies it appeared that some organotin compounds selecti
vely caused thymus atrophy. From that time onward efforts were made to
reveal molecular and cellular mechanisms involved. In this review rec
ent studies into organotin-sensitive stages and processes of thymocyte
maturation are discussed. Together these studies resulted in the reco
gnition of organotin compounds as possible model compounds in studying
immature thymocyte differentiation and protein synthesis-independent
apoptotic cell death of thymocytes.